If you could have one piece of equipment to work out with at your house...

If you could have one piece of equipment at your house for you to use to shape and tone your body, I suggest a stability ball.  Sometimes they are called 'yoga' balls or 'balance' balls, but whatever the name, they are so versatile and such a wonderful tool in creating a stronger, leaner you.  I have seen them at Marshall's, T.J. Maxx, Ross, Target and Walmart for as low as $8.00!!  Before you buy a ball, make sure it's the right size for your height.
55 cm - 4'11" - 5'4" (small)
65 cm - 5'5" - 5'11" (med)
75 cm - 6'0" - 6' 7" (large)
You can test it out at your local gym... To test it, sit on the ball and make sure your hips are level or just slightly higher than the knee, but those guidelines are right on.
The beauty of the ball is that you can use your own body weight as resistance for so many different exercises, strengthening most muscle groups in your body.  Hand weights can be added if wanted.  I am going to give you a few exercises to give you an idea of some of the muscle groups that you can work out using the ball  (Thank you exercise.about.com!):


Position the ball under your hips and lower torso with the knees straight or bent.  With hands behind the head or behind back, slowly roll down the ball.  Lift your chest off the ball, bringing your shoulders up until your body is in a straight line.  Make sure your body is in alignment (i.e., head, neck, shoulders and back are in a straight line), your abs are pulled in and that don't hyperextend the back. Repeat for 12-16 reps.


Position the ball under your abs and hips, hands on the floor and legs straight and off the floor.  Hold that position, keeping your body in a straight line, abs pulled in.  Working to stay balanced, slowly raise your right arm out to the side, taking care not to roll or allow any part of your body to collapse. Hold briefly, lower the arm and repeat on the other side.  Repeat for 12-16 reps, alternating arms.

Using the same position as above, position the ball under your legs and preform push ups on the ground.  The ball will act as a modification, either making the push up more difficult or less intense, depending where you place the ball under your legs.  The closer the ball is toward the hip area, the more of a modification it is.  The further down the ball is posiitioned toward the ankle, the more intense the push up is.  Do 3 sets of 10.

To get more exercises, just search "stability ball exercises" video clips.  There are tons of free online videos out there to give you information on ball exercises!

Let me know if you have any questions or comments about the ball.  It is one of my very favorite training tools!